


There’s No Single Road

by prompt_fills



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drabble, Drabble Sequence, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-14 08:37:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16489277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompt_fills/pseuds/prompt_fills
Summary: It’s not always easy but Leo moves forward, one step at a time.One story told in 30 scenes of 100 words, written forthe Angst Challenge.





	1. Mysterious Bruises

Leo doesn’t think much of it at first.

In their line of work, bruises are normal. Someone elbows him here, he hits himself there. By the end of the day, he’s blue all over.

So Leo doesn’t make the connection. He’s used to seeing bruises on himself. He’s used to seeing bruises on Geri too.

Not this kind of bruises though.

It isn’t until he leans in to kiss the side of Geri’s neck that he realizes his lips are about to align perfectly with the bruised skin.

He freezes.

“Is that a hickey?”

Geri doesn’t try to deny it.


	2. Argument

“You can’t be serious, Geri,” Leo says. It’s more of a resigned sigh than the angry accusation he wants it to be.

Geri strides to Leo’s kitchen and straddles the chair by the table. “Are you still on about that?”

“Yes,” Leo says tightly.

Geri helps himself to an apple from Leo’s fruit bowl, taking a crunchy bite. “I thought we’ve been through this, Leo. It didn’t mean anything. It was a mistake. I said I’m sorry. You know I’m sorry, right?”

“Right.”

“So what else do you want from me?”

“Nothing.” Leo wants it to stop hurting so much.


	3. Betrayal

Leo does a stupid thing. He forgives Geri.

They’ve been together for so long that Leo would do anything to salvage their relationship.

But it’s beyond salvation. Leo only sees that now, not even two weeks after the hickeys, when he’s played for a fool once again.

Geri gapes at Leo suddenly appearing home. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I…” This is Leo’s house. His bedroom. His Geri with someone else in Leo’s bed.

Leo thinks he might vomit.

Geri is livid. “You’re here early!”

Leo finds his voice. “You said it was a one-time thing.”

Geri snorts.


	4. Hate Sex

Leo rushes out of the house and wanders the streets aimlessly until it gets dark.

Then he heads back home.

It doesn’t feel like a home anymore.

Everywhere he looks is a memory, freshly tainted. It’s almost hostile.

Gerard is waiting for him. Thankfully, he is alone. “Are you done freaking out?”

Leo has prepared himself for the question and says his practised retort. “I don’t know, are you done fucking around?”

“You never said we’d be exclusive,” Gerard says. He’s right.

“Fuck you,” Leo says.

“Okay.” Gerard starts taking off his clothes.

Leo can never say no to him.


	5. Break-up

“I can’t go on like this,” Leo whispers.

“Me neither,” Gerard admits. “Leo-”

Leo shakes his head. “Don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m _sorry_.”

The worst part is, Leo believes him.

The worst part is, Leo has forgiven him already.

The _worst_ part is, Gerard places the house key on the table and walks away.

It’s like watching a movie. Leo sees it happening but he’s not a part of it, he can’t change it. He _doesn’t_ want to change it, he reminds himself.

Leo doesn’t call out to stop Gerard.

He tastes blood, he’s biting his lip so hard.


	6. Losing in a Final Match

Seeing Gerard after that is horrible. Each day brings pain. The team picks up on it fast but no one approaches Leo to talk about it. Leo is glad, he isn’t sure what he’d say.

Leo hasn’t managed to get himself together by the time the final match against Bayern comes.

They lose.

He keeps blaming himself.

He tells the press all the right things. He gives the guys on the team some bullshit pep talk he doesn’t believe himself.

He still can’t look Gerard in the eye and he isn’t sure how much more of this he can take.


	7. Unexpected Transfer

He gets an offer. It’s not unusual. He always gets an offer.

This time, however, Leo says _yes_.

His agent looks like he’s having an aneurism and Leo has to repeat himself several times before it really sticks. He’s still advised to sleep on it, take a few days to think about it and only then make the final decision.

Leo doesn’t need time to think about it, though. He’s made up his mind.

Five days later, he’s on a plane to New York to sign the new contract.

He only tells a handful of people. Gerard isn’t among them.


	8. Not Understanding the Language

Leo thought he’d be okay with the language.

He was wrong.

So, so wrong.

He’s glad he decided to fly in before the start of the season because he needs all the English lessons he can get.

He’s stumbling his way through the unfamiliar words, getting prepped for his very first press conference for The Blues. He figures it’s still better than being back in Barcelona where the walls were closing in on him, the city felt to small and everywhere he looked was Gerard.

Maybe one day the fans will forgive him that he left without any official farewell.


	9. Homesick

Adjusting to New York is hard.

He’s so tired of things. Of the questions, of the expectations. Of everything. He wants a break.

Leo unlocks his new house and what welcomes him is silence.

He wants to walk through the front door like through a portal and be transported back to his old house where all the smells and noises were familiar and where Geri was waiting for him with an easy smile and a kiss and some silly story to tell that made Leo smile as well.

He’s aware that he’s homesick for a place that no longer exists.


	10. New Teammate

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Leo.”

David’s voice is painfully familiar. So are his eyes that automatically rake over Leo’s body as he stands there in the team’s new kit.

“Hi,” Leo breathes out. It’s weird to see David, after everything. They’re on the same team once more but now David is his captain.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me _you_ are the ‘new teammate’?”

Leo hears the air quotes and he’s not entirely sure it’s a good thing. He manages a smile.

“You look good in blue,” David says. Leo’s heart skips a beat.

Down the rabbit hole again.


	11. Jealousy

David’s face is as serious as ever and Leo has troubles reading it at the best of times.

It’s a different story entirely when David is talking to Dan.

The two of them bow their heads close together to whisper about god knows what and David’s solemn expression always softens into a warm smile. Leo remembers that smile too.

“So are you fucking him, now?”

David laughs at him and leaves the room.

Leo hides his face in his palms. At least this time it wasn’t anyone else who made a fool of him. He managed that all by himself.


	12. Unrequited Love

The novelty of having _Messi_ on their team wears off relatively quickly and Leo finds himself struggling to fit in more often than not. He doesn’t know the people, he doesn’t know their customs. The other two Argentineans aren’t warming up to him, although they made Max give up his number so Leo doesn’t hold it against him.

David’s aloofness hurts the most.

Leo didn’t expect they’d fall into each other’s arms immediately but he thought they could become something again.

David catches him starring. “I’m not going to make the same mistake.”

Leo never considered it a mistake. “Okay.”


	13. Oversleeping

A chilling screech wakes Leo up shortly after midnight.

Maybe he’s about to get murdered. Leo doesn’t move. He stares at the hotel room ceiling, contemplating his life choices. The usual sounds of the city are muffled by the windows.

Every bone in his body knows he isn’t home. The weather is too cold, the sky cloudy. It’s been raining a lot.

Leo stays awake until four in the morning, then he finally falls into a restless sleep.

When he opens his eyes again, it’s nearly ten and he’s missed the team breakfast.

David rats him out to the coach.


	14. Scoring an Own Goal

They’re playing against Columbus. The whistle blows and they line up, forming a wall. Leo isn’t even trying to actively defend, the ball just hits him at an odd angle and ricochets into the net.

Leo blinks once, twice and the scoreboard changes, the stands buzzing with noises of excitement and annoyance. Leo’s new teammates give him a few sympathetic pats on his back. The coach glares daggers at him from the sideline.

Leo hangs his head low and though he tries his best, the score stubbornly remains 0-1 until the final whistle.

David doesn’t say anything.

Leo doesn’t either.


	15. The Coach Hates You

Torrent hates him, Leo is absolutely sure of that. Somewhere between Leo’s oversleeping and the incident with Columbus the coach loses his patience. The palpable tension between Leo and David that affects the whole team doesn’t help in the slightest.

Then Leo makes the mistake of suggesting switching up the formations and all hell breaks loose.

Leo has never seen someone go that red from anger that fast.

Torrent’s vicious words cut deep when he accuses Leo of not having any idea what he’s talking about.

Leo doesn’t know the team and their dynamics the way he knew his Barcelona.


	16. Accidentally Injuring a Teammate

No one believes it’s an accident.

Him and David both see the opponent’s pass going wide and sprint to recover the ball.

Leo is already checking the position of his new teammates to see who is open and ready to get the pass. He sees some movement out of the corner of his eye but he doesn’t realize it’s David coming up from the side.

Striking the ball, Leo clips David’s shin. David goes down hard, face contorted into a pained grimace.

Leo knocks on the team doctor’s door, wanting to apologize to David but they don’t let him in.


	17. Getting Sidelined

They let them know who’s in the starting eleven and Leo’s heart sinks to the ground when he realizes he didn’t make it.

This never happens to him, he’s a key player, always on the pitch unless he’s injured or resting.

It burns.

He tries to act as nonchalant as possible because he feels David’s eyes on his back.

Leo warms up the bench, watching the game.

He doesn’t get subbed in.

Their team wins.

Leo’s smile is a little tight around the edges when he exchanges the congratulatory pats and shoves and hugs with the rest of the team.


	18. Being Alone

Maybe it’s just in his head but David actively avoids him, his new teammates stop talking when he joins them in the room and whenever someone talks to him the conversation is short and carefully polite.

Leo rents a small cottage by the lake and drives himself there for the two free days they got. He needs to take a break and clear his head. Fresh air could do him good.

If he were in Barcelona, he’d take a boat out to the sea.

But this isn’t Barcelona and Geri won’t keep him company.

Cottage it is.

Leo goes alone.


	19. Car Broke down in a Dark Forest

The engine makes a weird sound and Leo reaches for the gearshift before remembering the car has automatic transmission.

He floors the gas. The engine wails and the car stops completely.

Shit.

He’s in the middle of nowhere.

Worse, he’s in the middle of a dark forest. The shadows are looming. The sun is waning.

His phone’s dead.

Leo locks himself in the car, freaking out.

Hours later, two yellow cones of light appear in a distance. Leo’s seen the horror movies. He stays put. Squeezes his eyes. Slouches.

A knock on the window. “You getting comfy there, Leo?”

“Ramos?!”


	20. Falling for ‘the enemy’

It has nothing to do with Ramos saving him from spending the night in the creepy forest.

It has nothing to do with the surprisingly pleasant chat they have on their way back.

Nothing to do with Sergio-just-here-for-the-La-Liga-games-Ramos volunteering to return the next day to the beached car and wait for a tow with Leo.

Ramos doesn’t mind Leo’s company.

“Why are you in the States anyway?” Ramos asks.

Leo eyes him. “I transferred.”

Ramos laughs and doesn’t pry.

It has nothing to do with _Ramos_.

Leo is lonely. He’d fall for anyone kind enough to pay him attention. Probably.


	21. Secrets

Ramos’ eyes stay on him too long, making Leo’s cheeks heat up and his gaze flicker to Ramos’ lips.

“Ah.” The lips quirk up in a smile.

Leo’s heart is beating madly in his chest, making his breath come in uneven sucks of air that are so loud it would be a wonder if Ramos couldn’t hear that.

“Now this is a surprise,” Ramos says, crossing the distance between them.

“This is a bad idea.” Leo presses close.

“No one has to find out,” Ramos says against the side of Leo’s throat. “I’m sure we could keep each other’s secrets.”


	22. Weird Hotel Room Vibes

The sense of unease envelops Leo the moment he steps in. “What’s the deal with this place?”

It looks pristine, nothing’s blatantly wrong. It gives Leo the creeps anyway.

Ramos crosses the hotel room, losing pieces of clothing on as he goes. “Just a place.”

“Just a place where someone got murdered last century,” Leo grumbles.

Ramos laughs, landing on the bed with a bounce. “Instead of ghosts, I’d be more weirded out by the bloody fluids this mattress has absorbed before.”

“Ghosts are _worse_. Don’t you dare switching off the lights.”

Ramos watches Leo undress. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”


	23. Overcoming Phobias

Sergio falls asleep and Leo shifts on the bed so that he can see the tiny sliver of light from the hallway.

It doesn’t help much against the all-encompassing darkness but it’s _something_.

“You weren’t kidding about the lights.”

Leo startles. “I hate when it’s dark.”

Sergio switches on the TV. “Better?”

Leo nods, watching Sergio’s face in the comforting gleam of the TV.

“We have a match near New York in two weeks, I think.”

“So?” Leo asks, aiming for causal.

Eyes half-lid, Sergio drawls. “So, I’m thinking we should have a date at a haunted house. Baby steps.”


	24. Haunted House Tour

The door closes with a creek. The shroud of silence falls upon them.

Leo’s heart is hammering in his throat. He can’t berate.

An icy hand wraps itself around Leo’s torso.

“Sergio!” Leo squawks.

“You’re radiating warmth,” Sergio says, sheepish. “I’m cold.”

Leo suppresses a shiver that has more to do with Sergio’s fingers sneaking under Leo’s shirt rather than any supernatural medium creeping upon them.

“See? No ghosts.” Sergio drops a kiss to Leo’s hair.

Leo has to admit the darkness is not as frightening when he’s not trying to fall asleep and when Sergio is there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks to whomever came up with the themes for the last few days, I've had a blast with them.


	25. Scandal

Leo wants to keep it a secret and Sergio doesn’t want anyone to find out either. It’s perfect. It works.

But then people find out.

There’s a picture.

Grainy but damning nonetheless.

Him and Sergio, kissing goodbye at the doorstep. They aren’t exactly keeping it PG.

Leo’s heart sinks to the ground.

They’ve been so stupid.

His hand is shaking when he dials Sergio’s number from memory. He’s been too afraid someone might find out if he saved it to his phone. Ironic.

Sergio doesn’t pick up.

Leo doesn’t know why he expected anything different.

Leo lets the phone ring.


	26. Intruder on the Pitch

Leo makes speeches, answers endless questions, keeps his head down.

The coach hasn’t looked at him once since the picture got plastered _everywhere_.

His relationship with David remains strained. David’s eyes are full of contempt but David doesn’t know Sergio like Leo does.

Leo doesn’t hide his surprise when he gets to play in the final fifteen minutes against Chicago. They’re winning 3-1.

Leo catches a movement and when he turns, he sees the security guys apprehending a man who’s still aiming a gun at Leo. “There’s no place on the team for-” he says before they drag him away.


	27. Missing a penalty shot

Leo wants this nightmare to be over.

David is right there next to him, face pale, eyes dark. There’s a flicker of something that Leo would have enjoyed seeing once but Leo is too out of it to appreciate the concern and David’s presence is not comforting like it used to be.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Leo assures.

The play resumes.

They’re given a penalty shot. Leo flicks his gaze to David who gives Leo a curt nod.

Leo sets down the ball, walks back in measured steps.

He misses.

The stands start jeering.

Leo wants to hide in Sergio’s arms.


	28. Fear

Leo drives himself back to his apartment. He barely remembers the trip. He can’t shake the feeling that he’s being hunted down. Any minute now, someone will step up to him and it won’t be because they want his autograph.

He almost faints when he opens his door and finds someone waiting for him.

“I’m sorry, I came as soon as I could,” Sergio says. “It’s been pure madness, you’ve no idea.” Sergio kisses his lips, then pulls away. “Although, you do have an idea, right? Awful couple of days.”

“I’ve had worse,” Leo mumbles, arms going tight around Sergio.


	29. Career-ending Injury

Leo doesn’t quite register what’s happening. Just the searing pain in his chest. Being cold. Frightened. Breathless.

Someone talking. Telling him to stay awake. Fitting a mask with oxygen over his face.

He wakes in the hospital. The nurse is talking in rapid English, checking his vitals, measuring his blood pressure before going to get a doctor.

Leo squeezes his eyes shut.

“Hey.” Sergio strokes the side of his cheek, kisses his forehead. “You made it,” he says brokenly, like he wasn’t sure Leo would.

“How bad?”

Sergio says nothing, expression dark.

“Oh,” Leo says, dread setting in his stomach.


	30. Retirement

Leo doesn’t make a recovery. He makes an announcement instead.

“Are you going to stay in New York now that you can’t play?” The reporters ask.

“No. I’m moving back to Spain,” Leo tells them, although he hasn’t asked Sergio yet.

“Any regrets leaving Spain in the first place?”

Leo’s breath catches in his throat.

Gerard’s betrayal. Meeting David again. The doctors explaining the consequences of Leo’s injury.

Running into Sergio unexpectedly and clicking with him right away. Sergio being understanding and funny. Making Leo feel alive again. Offering his love, accepting Leo’s.

“No,” Leo says firmly. “None at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you for all the kudos and comments throughout this month, you have no idea how inspiring that has been! ♥


End file.
